Tina Givens does it all, and does it all very well! Chances are you’ve fallen in love with at least one of the prints from one of her beautiful fabric collections (Pssst: Opal Owl is on sale…), and Tina also designs wonderful stationary, patterns and more. Tina’s work features her signature, detailed watercolor art.

Today we’re excited to be a stop on Tina’s book tour for the newly released Sew Tina!: 30 Cute Projects & Adorable Décor Items for Kids. The book includes many darling clothing patterns for kids, featuring designs that allow for fun and movement. You’ll also love the thoughtful, delightful, kid-focused home décor projects in the book. Tina answered all of our quirky questions below, and is also offering a prize package for you to win today. Your comment on the blog today enters you to win a prize package that includes a copy of Sew Tina!, four yards of fabric, two boxes of stationary and two sewing patterns! Lark Crafts is also hosting a giveaway throughout the blog tour; for details and the tour schedule you can visit Lark Crafts (they’re offering three free projects too!).

Enjoy our interview with Tina, and be sure to comment for your chance to win!

Sew,Mama,Sew!: The designs in Sew Tina!; 30 Cute Projects & Adorable Décor Items for Kids look like clothes kids can actually move and play in. Do you create with fun in mind?
Tina: Absolutely. Kids are nutty and physically free. My daughter is constantly upside down and walking around on her hands, and Jonty slides into the room on his belly… So the garments, whether for infant or older kid, are always inspired by their movement, free expression and fun. I love a unique silhouette and love using loads of fabric, so the swingy-er the better!

SMS: What is your favorite children’s book?
Tina: Funny… I recently reacquired my favorite book as a kid and my daughter is reading it to me. Oh, wow, did it bring back memories! It’s called Miss Z, The Dark Young Lady, by Angela Carter and illustrated by Eros Keith. I am amazed at how much I loved the illustrations and when I opened the book recently (last I saw it I was about 9 years old) I was again mesmerized, and the lady in the book has a sewing machine and makes a magical dress. I love children’s books and have many favorites but this is my most recent experience.

SMS: Have you incorporated any of the book’s projects into your own home? Is there a dreamy bed canopy or whimsical mobile in your life?
Tina: Oh, yes, everyone must have a canopy whether it’s in a kids room or elsewhere. My Amelia has one over her bed. And mobiles, yes… They’re in my studio too, whether from fabric or paper. I love making the tassel that is shown in the book hanging under the canopy; I make these for around the house. I make many things for around the house. Quilts of course, loads of pillows and cushions, wall art, and even fabric-covered bulletin boards in the kids rooms, the studio, the laundry room… Anywhere I want color. I slipcover a lot of ottomans and some chairs, I cover lampshades and add things to light fixtures… Oh, I am getting antsy to do something new!

SMS: Do you believe in fairies?
Tina: Absolutely. I do. I paint many fairies for my stationery lines and would love to install a fairy door in my house… That is a must!

SMS: Do you have a favorite clothing design in the book? One that’s been particularly well-received by a child friend or one that you think is especially versatile?
Tina: The Zig Zag dress is my favorite and I have even made this for myself in chiffon. It’s sweet for kids, easy to wear and fun to make!

If you could have a super power, what would it be?
Tina: Not so much super power but magic or like Samantha, so I could wiggle my nose and have all the dishes cleaned up, or the fabric bits and pieces magically disappear off the floor, or all the laundry done. I’d cook of course, sew and make things… It’s the clean up I have a problem with. That’s where the magic powers are needed, yes?

SMS: We’re big fans of all you do, from your fabric collections to your stationery and the beautiful watercolor art at the foundation of it all. Do you have tips to share about how to nurture a creative life?
Tina: Be yourself… Stop for a while and wonder and start by doing something you’d like to do whether it’s jewelry making, pottery, painting, sculpting. For me it was a millinery class after I quit my corporate job. It gave me time to play, and get my mind in a creative place. Next came the paint brushes and pencils, while I continued making hats… Just make the time to find it!

Then, nurture it by doing it and having fun at it. If it’s not fun, stop. Try something else. Always find a weekly pocket of time for yourself and if you don’t have a corner in the house that’s all yours, then create one. Get a perfect little desk or table that you love, put it in a semi-private corner or room, find a little comfy chair that’s all yours… You need a lamp for soft light, and voila!– Your own space to sit, create, think, read… blog….

Thanks for having me. I hope you love the book, it’s a fun concoction of fun things to make. Remember, don’t take yourself so seriously when you sew… Have fun with it!

Thanks, Tina! These photos are all projects in the book; clothing pattern sizes in the book range from 3m-18m (infant) and 2T-7 (kid). Readers, don’t forget to comment for your chance to win the fabulous prize package. Tell us about your love for Tina Givens, or perhaps you’d like to share what your super power would be or your favorite children’s book?!

I haven’t seen the actual book, but following the blog tour makes me think this book is something special. Love the little dress with the bird on the front. So cute. Our favorite children’s book is the “Poky Little Puppy”. I read it to my children so often I still have it memorized. “Five little puppies dug a hole under the fence and went for a walk in the wide, wide world…”

I agree with Tina, my super power would be for cleaning too. And wouldn’t I be the most popular super hero ever. I could swish and flick from across town and clean my friend’s houses for them. Just think how much sewing I could do if I never had to stop to clean house!

Oh so pretty!! I love to make outfits for my daughters. I would love to try some of the patterns. Thank you for the chance.
I have sewn with Tina Given’s fabric quite a bit, though usually I make aprons with it.

For whatever reason, I loved the book “Snipp, Snapp, Snurr, and the Buttered Bread,” as a kid. It was about Swedish triplets and making homemade bread and butter. How weird is that? I would love to find a copy again and see what was so fascinating. My foodie beginnings in life must’ve stemmed from it or something!

Beautiful book! My name is already Samantha, so maybe I’m half way there??? I would love to be able to twitch my nose and have magical organizational powers! I’ve recently moved into a new sewing room and am having trouble getting things unpacked and organized so I can get in there and be productive!

Love the book, love the fabric. Superpower- Maybe not needing sleep so that I could get everything I want to do done. (and still be a good mom, friend and wife!) The cleaning power would be great but I leave it for the fairies 🙂 Edward Munsch is one of my fav children’s authors!

ooo. I love the sense of whimsy Tina brings to her fabric designs, and the pictures you have posted from the book show the same! Thank you for the chance to win! (I’m a big fan of anything by Roald Dahl. I have already started reading his books to my 13 month old daughter who couldn’t care less at this point 😉

I just got some opal owl… it’s one of those that I’m afraid to cut into because it is just so beautiful! I’ll figure out just the right thing. Maybe a project from the book if I win? Thanks for the chance!

Some beautiful pictures, I wish I could see the zig-zag dress.
My favourite kids book is Harriet you’ll drive me wild- by an Aussie icon Mem Fox. such a real story about our imperfections as a parent.
Kate

I didn’t know Tina’s book. I’ve just had a look at her site and the fabrics and the colours are so beautiful! I think that winnig this giveaway would be a great way of getting to know her work. I’m keeping my fingers crossed!

Love this book! My super power would be the ability to sew all the beautiful things I wish with a Samantha/Tabatha wiggle of my nose. I see wonderful tutorials here and bookmark them but don’t seem to get around to making them!

I love the dress and the soft toys but I have to add my favourite book from childhood. “The Lion in the Meadow” by Margaret Mahy. If you haven’t read it try to find an old copy the ending is better. Love the look of the book. Can’t wait to see more

What a great interview and that book is definitely top of my wish list! I’m dreaming up lots of ideas for Opal Owl too:) As my daughter would benefit most if we were lucky enough to win this amazing giveaway, I thought I’d let you know her favourite book – I Love You, Blue Kangaroo by Emma Chichester Clark; perfect for toddlers and their mums everywhere.

oh, this book looks beautiful, making things for your own children is such a wonderful thing to do and Tina’s projects look like the kind of things I would love to make for my little one. My favourite children’s book has always been “Horton Hatches an egg”!!

A magical dress, that does conjure up all sorts of ideas in my imagination, in fact, I think I’m going to spend some time trying to draft a magical dress for me to wear! If only I had a little girl to make one for too, although I’m sure my boys would appreciat an outfit made with magic in mind! Great book, great interview – I love that the clothes are made for movement, with kids hanging upside down and slithering around on their bellies, so TRUE!

My favorite children’s books are all from Elsa Beskow thanks to my introduction to them through my daughter. They are old and gorgeous and absolutely perfect each one of them.
Thanks so much for this great interview and wonderful giveaway!

Oh my! I was so reminded of my toddler daughter reading this interview. Just this morning she refused to wear anything but the brightest, twirliest jumper she owns… nevermind that her only plan for any day is getting as dirty playing outside as possible. I love my whimsical, funny, girly girl, and I love finding patterns that cater to her style! Thanks for the opportunity to win! =0)

My favorite book as a child was always “Journey for a Princess” in which a plain young woman (who also happens to technically be a princess) takes a physical and personal journey to find the strength and power within herself. And it all starts when she wears a long forgotten blue dress of her aunt’s which gives her the courage in the face of a daunting task. It could explain why I have so many blue dresses in my closet today!

I wish I could have magical powers like Samantha and wiggle my nose and be the winner! Loved getting to know a little about Tina thru the interview. I believe in fairies, too. Have them all thru-out my garden.

I adore Tina’s fabulous fabric lines and I just want more of it. They are so innocent, hip, modern and also inspiring all at the same time. It is just what I want. My daughter goes to an Waldorf inspired school and fairies are huge along with butterflies, birds, bees, cupcakes etc.. you have encompassed them all! Can’t wait to see her book!

Tina Givens is so inspiring! I would love a copy of the book to do some sewing for my little tot. Her ideas and creative use of artsy fabrics make me want to twitch my nose for a clean house and just sew the rest of the day!

I am anxious to see more from this book!!! With two little girls this sure seems like a MUST have! My fav children’s book right now is The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn. And I agree with Tina I need a Cleaning Fairy!

My superpower- superspeed! To be able to get everything I want done, and still have time left over! And my favorite children’s book when I was a child was the Tasha Tudor Book of Fairy Tales. I believe it was an older book even when I was young, but it had the most beautiful illustrations in it. Soft, colorful, but with enough detail to really bring out the whole story. And I liked that it only “cleaned up” the fairy a very small amount- the prince in Rapunzel had his eyes scratched out by the briars and everything! (from the original story, but rarely included in today’s children’s versions). My brother’s all-time favorites were the Frog and Toad books by Arnold Lobel- and they’re my son’s too! If you have a boy, be sure to look at them – a truly under-appreciated author in America! Oh, and I’d LOVE to make some of the projects from this book!

When I began sewing, Tina Givens fabric really inspired me to try making clothes for my little girl, because the designs were so whymsical and adorable, but not too “baby-ish.” It was love at first site. She is still an all-time favorite, and I’m excited to see her project ideas in Sew Tina. Thanks for the chance to win a copy!

Looks great, and it is nice to have some bigger patterns–lots of books have infant patterns but my 2 and almost 7 year old love to wear handmade things. Superpower would definitely be needing less sleep! And favorite kids book…I always loved Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. There are so many great illustrators now though it is hard to pick just one.

Superpower…. I think back to “Bewitched” and would love to wiggle my nose and have the housework done so I can sew for my 5 little girls and two big sons all day. Tina’s book looks soooo beautiful! I would love to have it to perk me up on blah days!

As always, another great interview. I always enjoy the interviews because I myself would never have the chance to “talk” to the designers or authors of the books and projects I idolize. Reading Tina’s responses to your great questions are my dream come true! Tina’s fabrics are my favorite.

Tina is such an inspiration. I cannot wait to get her book. My daughter and I share the same favorite book, “The Tales of Peter Rabbit.” My daughter likes the excitement of Peter’s adventure. I love the illustrations and because the book was not written about the well behaved bunnies.

I love Tina Givens’ fabrics. They are so full of whimsy and color. It’s so hard to choose a favorite children’s book – there are so many wonderful ones out there. One of my top contenders would be Miss Rumphius. Or The Paper Bag Princess.

I really appreciate Tina’s advice to have fun and not take yourself too seriously when sewing. It looks like she’s put that into good practice in her life and has made sewing fun for herself and now for so many others!

Oh my, I would love a magical dress – one that would always be clean of spit up and baby lunch and that would make me look and feel beautiful despite the extra baby pounds that still seem to be hanging around 9 months after the arrival of my beautiful daughter Rosie! Love the advice on taking a moment to do what you want. I love to craft and will try harder to fit this into my busy schedule as it makes me way happier than clean up!
Thanks for sharing this interview 🙂

I’m guessing this book would have oodles of things for me to create for my three grandgirls! I’m always trying to come up gifts that are thoughtful and creative, not just battery operated toys.
My magic power…there are so many things I would do! I would take all the suffering out of the animal world; and I would make myself athletic and graceful! 🙂 I would bless everyone with the gift of creativity! And, of course, we all would live happily ever after!

If I could have super power,it would be to do all the house chores in a blink of an eye so I have all the time I like at my sewing machine! And Tina’s book would be a perfect companion!
Thanks for the giveaway!

Love this! For some reason I am so into baby-kid related crafting and sewing lately. No, not pregnant but if these darling books keep coming out I am going to adopt more babies just to have excuses to make stuff!

Oh wow that book looks like just my cup of tea! What a fabulous giveaway. And now I must go looking for the childrens book mentioned here too. Thanks for the introduction to Tina. I just went to her website and it’s beautiful.

I love the idea of clothing being designed with kids’ movement in mind. More than once I have made something for a kid only to have them only wear it when I made them because they couldn’t run or jump or climb the way they want to in it.

I would have to say that ‘Tree Top Fancy’ and ‘Opal Owl’ attract me with her use of color and shapes, not to mention those cute owls. I have always been enchanted by The Chronicles of Narnia and The Dragons of Blueland. Thanks for the great giveaway!

Tina Given’s sewing book looks like a great find. I could see myself doing all the projects listed, and the fabric prints are simply adorable! Oh, and as far as super powers are concerned . . . When I was a kid, I always wanted to be able to see through walls. Now days, I would love to have unlimited energy!

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